We are requesting funds to defray the cost of travel and/or conference fees for speakers from the United States who will participate in the 2002 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Cell Death to be held at Colby College, Waterville, Maine from June 16, 2002 to June 21, 2002. The impetus for the first GRC on Cell Death, held in 1995, was the enormous expansion in research interest and work in this field. Since then, the Cell Death field has continue both to attract a host of new researchers and to generate novel and exciting findings. Since its inception, the GRC on Cell Death has sought to bring together researchers working in diverse areas, using a variety of systems to understand the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of cell death. Moreover, this meeting has provided a forum for the lively discussion of new ideas and the identification of critical issues requiring investigation. The GRC on Cell Death has been held every other year since 1995. Along with the Keystone and Cold Spring Harbor meetings on Cell Death, the GRC on Cell Death has evolved into one of the "Big Three" apoptosis meetings held in the U.S. While originally slated to be held in 2003, the GRC has been moved up one year to 2002 in order to avoid overlap with the Keystone and CSHL meetings, which are held every other year in "odd years" (2003, 2005, etc.). With this new ("even year") schedule, the GRC will provide the opportunity for presentation of fresh, novel findings, without concern for the "meeting overload" that results from having too many major meetings in a given year. The GRC provides a particularly intimate and relaxed environment in which to discuss cutting edge advances, offering an unparalleled opportunity for leaders in the field to interact with each other and with pre-and post- doctoral trainees. Topics to be covered at the meeting include Bcl-2 family members, signaling pathways regulating apoptosis, apoptosis in normal development, caspase regulation, mitochondrial control of cell death, IAP proteins, apoptosis in disease, p53-mediated apoptosis, death receptor signaling, and the genetics of apoptosis. As in the past, scientists working on a diversity of systems (e.g. Drosophila, C. Elegans, mouse, etc.) As well as those working on emerging therapeutics aimed at treating cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and a range of other pathologies, will participate.